Combination whip top and skill device

ABSTRACT

A combination whip top and skill device comprising an ovalshaped top, a cup including a whipping handle and a lash secured to the handle. The lash can be used for spinning the top and then whipping the top in the conventional manner of using a whipping top. The top can also be secured to the lash whereby the top can be used as a skill device by attempting to flip the top on the end of the lash and catching the top on its end in the cup.

United'States Patent 697,457 4/1902 Doering...: v,.. l.923,0l9 8/l933 Silva l.972 803 9/1934 Taylor Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Marvin Siskind Attorney-Caesar, Rivise, Bernstein and Cohen I21 Grand Sh. Garfield, NJ. 07026 a 9 M 61 e 7 D- 19 2 ,1 .n. w s l l ar. I Suu K 8A] .1 0 d m N e nflfimw m fla I AFP 11 III. 2 I25 7 224 I III [54] COMBINATION WHIP TOP AND SKILL DEVICE 4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figs.

ABSTRACT: A combination whip top and skill device comprising an oval-shaped top, a cup including a whipping handle and a lash secured to the handle. The lash can be used for spinning the top and then whipping the top in the conventional manner of using a whipping top. The top can also be secured to the lash whereby the top can be used as a skill device b tempting to flip the top on the end of the lash and catchin top on its end in the cup.

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y atg the l63,294 5/1875 Bass PATENTED JUL 5 I971 ATTORN EYS COMBINATION WHIP TOP AND SKILL DEVICE This invention relates to a toy, and more particularly, a combination whip top and skill device.

Whip tops have been used for years as an amusement device. A whip top is a conventional spinning top that is used in combination with a rod having a lash at the end. The lash is used to impart a spinning motion to the top, and thereafter, the spinning motion of the top is maintained by using the rod as a handle for a whip and whipping the top while it is spinning. A number of whip tops of the prior art are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,535,065, 1,537,334 and 1,555,466.

All of the tops used in the prior art devices were generally conical in shape, and had a single spinning apex. One of the features of the device of this invention is the provision of two substantially conical tops that are joined at their upper surfaces to form a pair of spaced aligned apices, thereby providing two spinning points.

Another novel feature of the top of this invention is that the top may be linked to the, lash and used in combination with a cup placed at the end of the rod supporting the lash. A skill device is then formed wherein the user of the device must swing the top in an are at the end of the lash and attempt to have the top land on its apex in the cup. Since a pair of substantially conical blocks form the top, either apex of the top can be deposited into the cup to accomplish the object of the skill game.

It is accordingly an object of this invention to provide a novel combination of a whip top and skill device.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a whip top having two apices, thereby forming two spinning points.

These and other objects of this invention are accomplished by providing, in combination, a whip top and skill device comprising a top, a rod, a lash secured to said rod, said lash being adapted to be secured to said top, and a cup at one end of said rod, whereby said top may be pivoted in an arc and deposited in said cup when said top is secured to said lash, and whereby said top can be used as a whip top by releasing said lash from said top and using said lash to spin and whip said top.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view, partly in section, of the device of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the device of this invention when used as a skill device; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the use ofthe device of this invention as a whip top.

Referring now in greater detail to the various figures of the drawings wherein like reference characters refer to like parts, a combination whip top and skill device embodying the present invention is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. Device 10 basically comprises a top 12, a handle 14, a lash l6 and a cup 18.

Top 12 basically comprises a first conical section 20 and a second conical section 22. Each conical section generally has the shape of a cone, but in the embodiment shown, each section is generally parabolic with the outer wall of each being concave. The apex 24 of each conical section is generally rounded, and if desired, a plastic or metal pin having a rounded head can be used in each apex. The purpose of the plastic or metal pin is to reduce wear when the top is spinning on its apex on an abrading surface, such as concrete.

The two conical sections 20 and 22 are formed from a unitary block, which is preferably wood, and an enlarged groove 26 is formed at their centers. The walls of the groove 26 are generally convex. A hub 28 forms the base of groove 26. A hole 30 is drilled through groove 28. A pair of spaced annular grooves 32 is formed in each conical section 20 and 22. Each groove 32 has a V-shaped cross section. The entire top 12 is generally oval in shape, and a cross section through any lateral plane in the top is circular.

Top 12 is preferably made of wood, but if desired, it can be molded from plastic. Additionally, weights can be placed within the top to facilitate the use of the top when it is molded from plastic.

Handle 14 comprises an elongated rod. An annular groove 34 is formed near one end of the rod and an annular-groove 36 is formed near the other end of the rod. One end of the rod is provided with an internally threaded opening 38.

Cup 18 includes a shank 40, which has a lower end threadedly secured in opening 3%, and an upper section 42 that tapers outwardly from the shank. An opening 44 is formed in upper section 42. Opening 44 is generally conical in shape, and has the same parabolic contour as one of the cones 20 or 22. The cup 44 is slightly smaller in size than one of the cones.

' Lash 16 has one end secured in groove 34. The other end 46 can be secured to top 12 by inserting the same through hole 30 and tying a knot. The lash 16 can be of any flexible material, such as string, cord or a thin strip of rawhide.

When the device 10 is used as a skill device, the lash 16 is secured to top 12. Thereafter, the user will hold the handle 14 in a horizontal plane and swing the top upwardly by applying a centrifugal force to the top using the handle as the center of rotation. When the top has swung upwardly approximately the rotational movement will be terminated, and the user will attempt to place the cup 18 under the falling top in such a manner as to have one of the apices 24 enter the opening 44. If the manipulation is correctly carried out, the top 12 will be seated in the cup 18 in the position shown in FIG. 2. If the manipulation is not correctly carried out, the top 12 will either miss the cup completely or land on its side with the upper edge of the cup engaging a pair of grooves 32 having a pair of cones 20 and 22 facilitates the use of the device in that there are two possibilities of having a cone properly seated in the cup 18.

When the device is to be used as a whip top, the lash 16 is inserted in groove 36. Thereafter, the end 46 is removed from hole 30, and the lash is wound around the grooves 32 and the enlarged groove. 28. A spinning motion is imparted to the top by grasping the handle 14 and the users snapping his wrist to impart a rotational force on the top. The top will then spin on one of its apices 24. Because of the momentum imparted to the top from the sharp whipping motion in releasing the top from the lash, the top will rotate from a considerable period of time, The velocity of the top may be maintained or increased by whipping the top while it is spinning, in the manner well known to the art.

The initial rotational movement can be given to the top by winding the lash l6 entirely within groove 28. Alternatively, the lash can be wound in the grooves of either conical section 20 or 22. One of the features of the top of this invention is that the initial rotational force can be applied to the top by winding the lash in one set of grooves 32 and placing the top on its side, in the position shown in FIG. 1. Thereafter, when the whip is snapped, the top will automatically right itself and begin spinning on the opposite apex 24. This is one of the features of this invention that is accomplished by having the oval-shaped top 12.

Device M) can be formed of any of the materials known to the art, although wood is preferable. However, any of the moldable plastics can also be used in forming the device of this invention. Having the cup 18 threadedly secured in handle 14 will permit the removal of the cup when the device is used as a whipping top. In this case, it will be unnecessary to move the lash 16 from groove 34 to groove 36.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention that others may, by applying current or future knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

What I claim as the invention is:

l. A whip top and skill device comprising a spinnable top, said top comprising an oval-shaped member having an enlarged groove formed at the center thereof, said groove dividing said member into a pair of substantially conical-shaped sections, with the apexes of the two conical sections being at the outer ends of said member, a rod, a lash secured to said rod, said lash being releasably secured to said top, and a cup at one end of said rod, said cup having an upper opening formed therein, said opening being generally conical in shape, with the apex of said opening being lowermost in said cup, said top being adapted to be pivoted in an arc and deposited in said cup when said lash is secured to said top at said enlarged groove with one of said conical sections being received in said opening in said cup, said cup being unable to receive said top except when one of said apexes enters said opening, and said top being adapted to be used as a whip top by using said lash to spin and whip said top.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cup is releasably secured to said rod.

3. The device of claim 2 wherein said cup is threadedly secured to said rod.

4. The device of claim 1 wherein a plurality of annular, spaced grooves is formed in each of said conical-shaped sections. 

1. A whip top and skill device comprising a spinnable top, said top comprising an oval-shaped member having an enlarged groove formed at the center thereof, said groove dividing said member into a pair of substantially conical-shaped sections, with the apexes of the two conical sections being at the outer ends of said member, a rod, a lash secured to said rod, said lash being releasably secured to said top, and a cup at one end of said rod, said cup having an upper opening formed therein, said opening being generally conical in shape, with the apex of said opening being lowermost in said cup, said top being adapted to be pivoted in an arc and deposited in said cup when said lash is secured to said top at said enlarged groove with one of said conical sections being received in said opening in said cup, said cup being unable to receive said top except when one of said apexes enters said opening, and said top being adapted to be used as a whip top by using said lash to spin and whip said top.
 2. The device of claim 1 wherein said cup is releasably secured to said rod.
 3. The device of claim 2 wherein said cup is threadedly secured to said rod.
 4. The device of claim 1 wherein a plurality of annular, spaced grooves is formed in each of said conical-shaped sections. 